Mueller Closing in on Trump Empire, Inc. and His Organization: All Newsworthy

The message is loud and clear except for Trump loyalists 

(Most can't even answer the 3 questions)

Both eye-opening and worrisome at the same time is this revealing article from the NY TIMES. The article is about Michael Cohen & Paul Manafort and persons cut from their same cloth as they pretty much brazenly run the country and do it open and freely as possible and outside the bounds of law – why? 

Because Law Enforcement staffing and manning levels working the so-called “White Collar Crimes” including prosecutors are in short supply”

(My Note: Worse a lot of it is backed either by or due to a lack of legislative actions and oversight – thus, the crooks are able to run wild by clever design as many in government simply look the other way until great pressure is put on them to act).

This the article’s basic introduction: Oh, the audacity of dopes. The crimes of Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen are notable not just for how blatant they were but also for their lack of sophistication. The two men did little to hide their lying to banks and the Internal Revenue Service. 

One can almost sympathize with them: If it wasn’t for their decision to attach themselves to the most unlikely president in modern history, there’s every reason to think they might still be working their frauds today.

Key imperatives:

1.  How anomalous are Mr. Manafort and Mr. Cohen?

2.  Are there legions of K Street big shots working for foreign despots and parking their riches in Cypriot bank accounts to avoid the IRS?

3.  Are many political campaigns walking felonies waiting to be exposed?

4.  What about the world of luxury residential building in which Mr. Cohen plied his trade with the Trump Organization?

The answer is more disturbing than those four questions: We don’t know. We don’t know because the cops aren’t on the beat. Resources have been stripped from white-collar enforcement. For example, the FBI shifted a lot of agents to work on international terror following the September 11 attacks.

1.  White-collar cases made up about one-tenth of the DOJ’s cases in recent years, compared with one-fifth in the early 1990’s.

2.  The IRS criminal enforcement capabilities have been decimated by years of budget cuts and attrition.

3.  And, the FEC is a toothless organization that is widely flouted.

However, as we see now, beginning with a charge to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel, has fallen upon a rash of other crimes. In doing so, he has exposed how widespread and serious our white-collar-fraud problem really is, and how lax enforcement has been for years.

Related: Who Mueller has “nailed” to date from the NY TIMES.

At least Mueller is showing a way out of the problem. He and his team are demonstrating that the proper attention, resources and experience can go a long way to rectify the white-collar-prosecution crisis. Continue this enlightening story at the TIMES link – worth your time.

My 2 cents: Based this story and the reality of “white collar” crimes it’s no wonder Trump cautions Mueller, et al to “not cross the RED line into his business dealings.” 

They are as they expression goes “As crooked as a dog’s hind leg.”

My contention, like yours I suspect is painfully clear now more so with the Cohen and Manafort trials and so many other guilty verdicts and plea deals made. I suspect more will follow more so now that immunity has been granted to “the #1 bookie” of the entire Trump Organization (CFO Allen Weisselberg, who knows where all the money is or not, went to or not, and for what purpose) just announced (article from Politico). 

All this has a distinct mob odor about it. But, time will tell in that regard. No matter the outcome because already up to this point, this has been by far the darkest page in American presidential history hands down no contest not even close, not TEA Pot Dome Scandal or Watergate or minor ones in between – this Trump one will top them all. 

Yet, with the constant Trump BS-ing, insults, threats (e.g., aim at Mueller, Sessions, and Rosenstein the top three), the constant Trump tweeting, and sustained Trump conning via his campaign-style rallies and speeches – well that all clearly shows “it ain’t over till it’s over” as Yogi Berra would say. 

Stay tuned for the climax – it should be a barn-burning doozy as they say.

Thanks for stopping by.